Arte Visionario con San Pedro y Ayahuasca en Ecuador, en diálogo con el mundo Kichwa
Susan Elizabeth Rocha
Proa Revista de Antropologia e Arte August 19, 2026 DOI: 10.20396/proa.v16i00.20719 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Five contemporary Ecuadorian artists |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Mescaline |
| Key findings | Argues that ritual ingestion of San Pedro and Ayahuasca functions as a catalyst for differentiated states of consciousness, positioning the plants as co-authors of artworks. Visions are presented as a self-ethnographic praxis that interacts with highland and Amazonian indigenous cosmopolitics. |
Abstract
This research addresses visionary practices in contemporary Ecuadorian art, focusing on their relationship with the ritual ingestion of San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi) and Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi). From a perspective grounded in animist ontologies, which understand nature as a vast web of interconnected beings with interiority, the study analyzes how these master plants function as catalysts of differentiated states of consciousness for artists and, to some extent, as co-authors of their works. Such experience facilitates the materialization of the ineffable and the emergence of memories, both individual and collective, which are manifested in the work of the artists Marcelo Aguirre, Inty Muenala, Elías Mamallacta, Miguel Varea, and Angélica Alomoto in dialogue with the Kichwa world. In their work, visions stand as a self-ethnographic praxis that interacts in complex ways with two distinct indigenous cosmopolitics, those of the highlands and the Amazon. For this purpose, visual analysis and in-depth interviews with the creators were used.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyote as Earth Medicine: Examining How Symbolic Meanings Shape Experiences With Psychedelics People who use peyote in religious ceremonies | 2023 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The Use of Peyote as Treatment for Alcoholism within the NAC Community: Reflections on a Study | 2011 | Interview | |
| Psychedelic trip sitting, dosages and intensities: Supplementing clinical studies with anecdotal reports Posts from online psychedelic forums (The Shroomery and DMT Nexus) on trip sitting | 2024 | Qualitative study with Delphi-style expert panel review | n = 660 |
| Hitting the Reset Button: Ceremonial Use of Peyote and Experiences of Personal Change People who attended peyote ceremonies in rural Northcentral Alabama | 2024 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The San Pedro Cactus (Equinopsis pachanoi): Ancestral and Modern Therapeutic Uses in Peru Curanderos in the Túcume district of northern Peru | 2025 | Qualitative study |